Chinese Medicine & Treating the Whole Person

I have worked in health care my entire life, and because I'm no longer a spring chicken, that means it has been a good LONG time.  But recently I’ve gone back to college to learn about Chinese Medicine.  Chinese Medicine is very different from Western Medicine.  It’s not only the language that is different, but how the human body is viewed. It has been a tough transition but there are a couple of aspects in this new paradigm I just love.  For example, I love how Chinese Medicine looks at a patient as a whole person.  I mean, everything is inter-related and important when it comes to health.  In Chinese Medicine you assess and treat the whole person and with this focus, you treat more than just an organ.

Let me give you an example.  

If I go to see my Western Medicine doctor because I have a cold, my doctor will primarily ask me only things related to my lungs. The entire focus of this visit will be on whether or not to give me antibiotics.  She doesn’t ask me anything about what I’ve been eating.  She doesn't ask me about how I feel or my emotional state.  She doesn’t inquire about my sleep habits or family life, or the type of work I do. The focus is strictly on "is this a bacterium or virus?" Her desire is to quickly diagnose, give me the right medication, and get me out the door.

But,

If I were to go to a Chinese Doctor (an Acupuncturist) with my cold, I would be asked more than just the state of my lungs. I would be asked about how and when I became ill and to describe it in detail.  I would be asked if I am feeling hot or cold.  I would also be asked about sweating and chills, along with questions about my cough, sputum, and tongue. I would be asked about what I was eating and drinking, when I sleep, and for how long. I would be asked about my exercise habits, my emotional well being, and if I was grieving.  I would be asked about my environment at home and where I work to discover if it is damp or dry, if it is air conditioned, or has blowing air.  There would be a myriad of other questions asked that would seem to have little to do with a virus, but in Chinese Medicine, all of these factors are important.  The focus at my Chinese Medicine doctor will be on assessing all the relationships in my whole body that could be impacting and playing a role in this cold.  After that, the focus will be on getting me to feel better NOW, and then getting me on a path to sustain harmony and balance.  

In my Western Medicine medical experience, I would probably have left the doctors office with a prescription for a cough medicine and still probably felt pretty crappy.  I would probably think of myself as a victim with little control over my health.  

In my Chinese Medicine medical experience, I would leave feeling somewhat better because I would have received an acupuncture or moxibustion treatment.  I may have a prescription for some herbs, a recommendation for different foods to now be included in my diet that could help my lungs (like chicken soups with marrow and probably some persimmons).  I would perhaps be given some new movements or  exercises to do which would help strengthen my lungs (with posture and deep breaths).  I would have been advised on some meditation or visualization practices to help me guide my internal energies (qi/chee) to tonify my heart and lungs.  It may also have had the opportunity to talk about some sadness I was feeling because my Acupuncturist would know how sensitive the lungs are to grief and would have encouraged me to purge these feelings of grief. I would leave the Chinese Doctor's office feeling empowered because I would probably have new ways to help me take charge of returning to a state of balance and well being.  

I think there is merit in both Western and Chinese Medicine systems, but the thing I like most about Chinese Medicine is the broader focus on a person's whole being.   I like how a patient is more than just a failed body part or two.  

I also like the way Chinese Medicine practitioners will partner with a patient to help guide them back into balance and alignment.  This can help a person feel empowered and in charge of their own state of wellness. I like that. I think this is what we are missing in Western Medicine and desperately need.

Chinese Medicine & Treating the Whole Person